Nearly 300 Bozeman-area employees logged more than 10,000 miles during the area’s annual May Commuter Challenge held earlier this month. Sponsored by Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute, the Human Resource Development Council District IX, and the Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board, the challenge was a friendly competition to promote walking, biking, public transportation or carpooling for work commutes.

According to organizers of the event, 284 people comprising 50 teams participated in this year’s challenge. Those participants logged 6,085 miles by bike, 391 miles by foot, 3,759 miles by carpool, and 671 miles by bus. In 2012, 225 people on 28 teams participated.

For a full list of the challenge’s 2013 teams and results, visit www.ridesharemt.com and click on the “more” tab.

The May Commuter Challenge encourages people to use the Montana ride sharing site, www.ridesharemt.com, which helps people form carpools for trips to work and health care and child care facilities. The site can be used throughout the year.

Ridesharemt.com is a service of the Western Transportation Institute, or WTI, which was established in 1994 to provide innovative solutions to transportation problems at all levels, from local to international. WTI is the country's largest national university transportation center focused on rural transportation issues. More information about the WTI is available at www.westerntransportationinstitute.org.